Yesterday in the Gospel reading Jesus told us, "If you love me you will keep my commandants". This is an extremely simple truth the Lord lays on us: we cannot sin and love God with our whole heart. Sin, by its very nature divides us from God.
I find this sentence really hard to follow, because it is literally asking us to "be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect". Like the rich young man, it could be discouraging to us, especially when we are young and quite fond of our frequent sins. We all have one or two or five that we can't seem to shake and continually return to perhaps out of addiction but mostly out of habit. God is asking us to radically change that, to turn away from sin and return fully to Him.
And Jesus doesn't leave us hanging with this strict order alone. Immediately afterwards He tells us that He will ask the Father to send down an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to strengthen us. That's awesome! Jesus also says that the world does not know the Spirit but we will because the Spirit will remain in us. This passage provides us both strength and comfort: The Lord says He will not leave us orphans. By following His commandments we will enter into the Trinitarian love of the Father, Son, and Spirit. This is worth so much more than any temporary pleasure or feeling induced by a favorite sin. This is complete happiness, this is the joy of true love.
And this is something I feel I've forgotten lately. I've struggled with a series of continual sins throughout my young adulthood and now during stressful times they've reemerged. Frequent confession is a wonderful grace but I worry that a habit is forming that will become harder and harder to break. How can you return to God wholly and not sin? Because we have to! Jesus explicitly says that to love Him is to not sin. I'm a wishy washy lover right now if I say I love Jesus and profess Him God and then disregard what He says to continue to sin. Not only is that hypocritical but it's hurtful to my relationship with God. It's also a completely human thing to do. Perhaps the most human.
That's no excuse. We all are human but that is why Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit to remain with us. This is why we are initiated into the Church with Baptism, the Eucharist, and Confirmation. Baptism forgives our original sin, the Eucharist gives us strength and is the summit of our love for the person of Christ, and Confirmation keeps us strong in the Holy Spirit. We are given the tools needed for the battle. It is not what is naturally within us to win the fight but what is super-naturally within us: The Paraclete, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit of God most high!
Holy Spirit, I am weak. I have fallen so many times that I am unsure how I am not but a huge scrapped knee in your eyes. But You still remain with me, with all Your people. Spirit of God I pray wholeheartedly to You that I may amend my ways and do as Jesus has taught us and follow all of His commandments. I desire to love You God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and make our relationship the center of my life. Help me to do that. Help me to be recreated once again in Your love. Amen.
I want to leave you tonight with a section of Psalm 119 that I found very inspirational in choosing tonight's topic. Ps119 is really long and is many sectioned, each section beginning with a Hebrew letter. Much like Sesame Street, this blogpost was sponsored by the letter B:
BETH
How can the young keep his way without fault?
Only by observing your words.
With all my heart I seek you;
do not let me stray from your commandments.
In my heart I treasure your promise,
that I may not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O LORD;
With my lips I recite
all the judgments you have spoken.
I find joy in the way of your testimonies
more than in all riches.
I will ponder your precepts
and consider your paths.
In your statutes I take delight;
I will never forget your word.
~OCG
